Fukang Meteorites, How Do They Work?

Deemed one of the most remarkable meteorite discoveries of the 21st century, this incredible rock was found in the year 2000 near Fukang, a city located in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, China. Coined the 'Fukang meteorite', its weight upon discovery was 2,211 pounds.

The meteorite is a pallasite: a type of stony-iron meteorite with olivine crystals throughout. Pallasites are extremely rare--only about 1% of meteorites fit this type of classification. The Fukang meteorite is believed to have been created during the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago, and very few specimens are thought to have survived the descent through Earth's atmosphere. It currently is split amongst various collections, with the largest portion (925 pounds) being held by an anonymous group of collectors.